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i was thinking of getting a nep for my future terrarium, and i was wondering if anyone knew of any Highland neps that stay fairly small and would grow well in a terrarium. I dont think a lowland nep would work because the temp. drops at night here and it would be a pain to keep it high enough. Any suggestions would be great. if none would work out thats ok too.

Thank
Ktulu

"We're terrible animals. I think that the Earth's immune system is trying to get rid of us, as well it should." - Kurt Vonnegut

Your temps will have to be no higher than 55-60*f at any time otherwise you should shoot for an intermediate or forgiving lowlander.
First things first, how large of a terrarium do you intend to have? Depth (width from front to back) is as important as height when considering what size plant you can have as leaves/pitchers resting on the glass may occassionally die faster probably due to trapped condensation between the pitcher walls and the glass.
Some of the smallest highland species (which require a drop to the high 50s at night) include: N. inermis, N. lamii, N. dubia, N. aristolochides, N. talangensis, N. jacquelineae and N. argentii (the most expensive Nep available). This list isn't comprehensive, just off the top of my head. These plants are generally "expensive" and considered difficult but if you can keep the temps cool and the humidity in the 80%+ range you might do well, remember they require bright lighting as well as high humidity, not one or the other. This combination can create more "steamy" conditions during the day, if this happens and the terrarium gets warmer than 80*F while the lights are on then you will need to start up a tiny fan inside the terrarium to cool off the plants. Highland nepenthes leaves and soil surface (like most orchids) should never feel warm to the touch, but cool and damp (but not wet).

Tall is one thing. Nepenthes can be cut back or allowed to trail along if they get too tall. More of an issue is leaf length and overall width of the plant. Other things to consider besides mature width is how big it is when acquired and how fast it will reach its mature size.

Running off to lunch so will give some suggestions later on what I think make good intermediate plants for a smaller terrarium.
Tony

Hello,
I'm not expert and I don't have an elaborate set-up, but so far my plants are doing well. From my experience, n. tobaica stays pretty small. Mine are growing as vines that are very thin and the pitchers are relatively small. It gets bright light and warmth during the day, cooling slightly at night. Ok, well not this week because it's 96 degrees in Seattle and I can't even cool myself off at night! ... but in general [img]http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif[/img]
I recently made cuttings and have two in the process of rooting (I hope&#33[img]http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif[/img]. I can send you one eventually if they root. It'll be a few weeks.
Holden

I would call mid 70 day / low 60, high 50 at night intermediate/highland

N. tobiaca is a nice plant but once it starts to vine it will do so with a vengence!

Other possibilities...Some of these will get pretty large but take a long time doing so. Others will reach an overall smaller size.
N. fusca
N. ramispina
N. inermis
N. lowii (IF you can keep night temps down around 60 and day temps preferably below 80)
N. macfarlanei
N. pectinata
N. reinwardtiana
N. tentaculata
N. ventricosa

There are others but I tried to stick with the more readily available and less pricey plants on the market.
Tony